Associations between park features, park satisfaction and park use in a multi-ethnic deprived urban area

Parks are increasingly understood to be key community resources for public health, particularly for ethnicminority and low socioeconomic groups. At the same time, research suggests parks are underutilised by thesegroups. In order to design effective interventions to promote health, the determinants of park use for thesegroups must be understood.This study examines the associations between park features, park satisfaction andpark use in a deprived and ethnically diverse sample in Bradford, UK. 652 women from the Born in Bradfordcohort completed a survey on park satisfaction and park use. Using a standardised direct observation tool, 44parks in the area were audited for present park features. Features assessed were: access, recreational facilities,amenities, natural features, significant natural features, non-natural features, incivilities and usability. Size andproximity to the park were also calculated. Multilevel linear regressions were performed to understand asso-ciations between park features and (1) park satisfaction and (2) park use. Interactions between park features,ethnicity and socioeconomic status were explored, and park satisfaction was tested as a mediator in the re-lationship between park features and park use.More amenities and greater usability were associated with in-creased park satisfaction, while more incivilities were negatively related to park satisfaction. Incivilities, accessand proximity were also negatively associated with park use. Ethnicity and socioeconomic status had no mod-erating role, and there was no evidence for park satisfaction as a mediator between park features and parkuse.Results suggest diverse park features are associated with park satisfaction and park use, but this did not varyby ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The reduction of incivilities should be prioritised where the aim is toencourage park satisfaction and park use